Azula's fury
by Randomicity
Summary: FINAL CHAPTER UP! THANK GOD! Anyway, last 1's kinda long, and it's also sorta sad. But thank you for reading, anyway! I DON'T OWN THIS SHOW!
1. Chapter 1

The blackness...

From my thoughts, I receive no mercy, I wanted The Avatar, I wanted his blood, I wanted to feel the crimson fluid run amok over my hands as I stole the spark of life from his body.

It seems the world will not permit me such graces...

I am here, chained to this grate while I listen to that little brat wail over my brother's body, crying over and over again for him not to die. To be safe To be okay, to stay alive, with her.

Fool, didn't she realize the inevitability of _Death?_

Perhaps she would revive ZuZu, I knew she would try, I know she would stay with him and force the life back into his body until he finally expired, there on the ground, in front of her.

I knew she would also die with him, her body would remain alive, of course, but her soul itself would be rocked to the very core with grief.

_And It would be all her fault..._

_Bleed, ZuZu, I wish you would die, that way I may've lost the fight against you, but at least I'll have the satisfaction of sneering at your final moments as you slip away, like the recesses of my mind._

I couldn't forgive her for this. She'd taken it all away from me at the very last moment. Zuko'd taken the bolt that was meant so lovingly for her, my blessing upon their cursed relationship.

And he'd stepped in front of her, taking the bolt, while we fought, both agonized by grief and madness, fueled by an endless Rage, a desire to see the other perish the trophy of having done it.

But the world will not permit me such things...

Even as a princess, such things are not given freely.

She froze me in a mound if Ice, chaining me to this grate, leaving me here to scream and moan while she went and tended to my brothers diminishing life.

I wonder why she'd let me live, but I knew not, and it was a grievous mistake, for her.

I used my own twisting fire, made even stronger by black hatred and the force of the Comet, freeing myself from these foolish bonds.

I left the little girl to tend to my brother. I cared not, right now, about such things.

Let them believe they've won, let them rejoice and bask in one-another's comfort...

Let them rest, and glutton.

They believe it's over, and my mother(?) said such a thing just a moment ago, appearing to me through the blackness that gave way to the world...

Let them all believe it was done. There was more people, there was always _more_, more innocent, helpless lives to be slaughtered and feasted upon.

This will get there attention, undoubtedly.

But for now, let them rejoice...

The believe the War is over, Mai, Ty-Lee, Zuko, Father...

_All of them..._

Let them relish into their Illusions...

Let them relinquish their fears into this Grand Illusion...

The poor fools, they haven't even realized it's barely even _begun..._

I watched the palace grow smaller, until it was a minute dot into the distance, and set my sights on the nearest village, fingers twitching to begin...

Just the sheer _thought _sent a tingle down my spine.

It was time to begin...


	2. Chapter 2

The screaming had stopped. Once again the village had fallen silent, underneath the wondering face of the moon, it burned softly, illuminating the night with an ethereal glow.

Bodies lay strewn across the ground, just taken from the high of Life to be thrown into the jaws of Death by her steady hands.

Azula burned them all to ashes.

She stood at the remains of what once was a respectable Earth-Kingdom village, laughing as the ground seemed to weep with the blood of its fallen. She didn't care, now, there was still more, _this_ particular village may even go undiscovered, but it didn't matter to her because there were _always more._

Just minutes ago, people had been out in the streets, laughing, cheering, celebrating the end of this foolish War which had plagued them for one-hundred years with a black cloud of fear and despair.

She had arrived silently, laying the balloon she had borrowed from a Fire-Nation out of sight from any of the villagers.

And she had waited...

Waited for the town and its inhabitants to fall silent, to fall soundlessly into sleep.

She had shattered their dreams.

The first household had been easy, she'd merely crept inside and severed the throat of its two inhabitants with the icy blade of a knife. Soundlessly, she'd crept outside to the next, and the next, thinking that if no one woke up _now_, they never would, again.

But she was mistaken. She _had_ miscalculated. One boy was enough to scream out a warning to the other inhabitants, sending them out with swords, axes and various implements of her destruction.

The fire reflected dully in the eyes of the Dead, now blank, staring listlessly at the starry skies.

Azula didn't care... Shenever would_ allow_ herself to care.

FLASHBACK—1ST PERSON

I waited for the peasants to fall silent. Silence, it seemed, was my safekeeping. For the cloak of night and the whistling dagger of Death was all I needed to carry out my plans against these people.

I didn't know them. I had no grudge against them except that they were fools. They believed it was over, they believed it was _done_, that something that spawned chaos and tyranny for a century could be ended all in a matter of _hours?_

I'll try not to laugh.

Regardless, they weren't responsible for the loss of my honour, for the defeat of my Father, for the total annihilation of everything I held dear to myself...

But I could use them to get to the people who _were._ I knew I could not defeat the Avatar and his friends single-handedly. I knew this, yet I still had trouble admitting it to myself. I could kill the girl, and perhaps my brother single-handedly if they weren't _together._

But they were... So I must break them apart.

I waited, within the woods until all had fallen silent, until the Earth seemed to breathe alongside those who lived amongst it. Working it to their every whim, day-to-day. I waited, until I could wait no longer, until my hatred overcame me, and I _had_ to do something.

You learned of what happened, earlier. I went in, spilt the first drops of blood from the people who lived there, and that little brat _screamed._

He _screamed_, his eye bulged out from his head as if he were hyperventilating, but I suppose seeing both your parents with their intestines spilling from their bellies would make _anyone_ holler.

I couldn't let him give me away. I killed him, slicing his head cleanly off with his fathers sword, and stepped out of the home to find the other villagers surrounding me, intent amusingly clear.

They would kill me, or I would kill them.

But of course, I couldn't allow myself to die.

The first of the men ran forwards, swinging their clumsy blades with accuracy, but not grace. I merely sidestepped them, and plunged my own into the soft bodies that lay behind them. I laughed upon seeing the shocked expressions of rage and horror on their faces as I wrenched the blade free of them, to leave them wounded on the ground.

More came, screaming of hate, rage, anger at the shallow princess who decided to put an end so soon to their celebration, only that princess held no mercy.

More fell, more blood was spilt, lit by the moon like crimson rain as they screamed as I ripped their bodies to ribbons, disemboweling, decapitating, massacring one after the other, taking cuts myself, but the pain was quickly forced away by more Black hatred.

Until it was silent, once again.

The village lay smoldering, in ruins, and what was not ruined lay in ashes. All along the ground, lit underneath the Night's eye, like something out of a dream were bodies, everywhere, bleeding, moaning, calling desperately for help.

No help was to come, they were to far away.

The only other visitor to this place, would most likely be Death.

I walked back to the balloon, dropping the bloody blade that now held the lives of over a dozen people, and I turned to face my masterpiece.

Bodies askew, blood carpeted the ground. Just ten minutes ago this had been a peaceful, quiet village.

I watched my _own_ blood run amok down my arm, courtesy of a now-dead fool.

Somewhere within the houses, a child was crying...

I watched the blood run down my arm, burning from the heat of my body.

It felt good.

I left the child alive. Let them scream him a lullaby.

The war was not over, it may be at a standoff, yes, but it was _not_ over.

_My_ war had only just begun...


	3. Chapter 3

Azula stood on top of the walls of Ba-Sing-Se, staring down into the city below. _Already_ the city-dwellers were hard at work attempting to rebuild their precious stronghold; famed for its security from the outside forces.

They didn't realize that it wasn't the _outside_ that was deadly to them. Within this city lay the Dai-Li, the force of soldiers that she had controlled as puppets when she disguised herself as a Kyoshi warriors alongside Ty-Lee and Mai.

May they rest in peace. They weren't alive to _her._

All she had was herself now, and the Snake inside her said that it would not turn out for the best, that _she_ was a fool if she were to continue doing this as she was.

She let the Snake calm her torrents of thought, letting the beast of Rage and Hatred console her wounds.

She'd show them _both_ who was the fool, in time. She stood over top the City, looking down into its depths, seeing the people crawling in masses, like ants.

The image alone was enough to bring a sneer to her face. She hated them, and they deserved to die.

But not _yet._ They weren't going to die _yet_, they would die just as she was made to, having everything taken away from them and destroyed right in front of their eyes, so that they could scream in horror when it was all over.

_That_ brought a _smile_ to her face. She'd done enough killing for now, she would resume again, soon. Just not _now_, as the Snake was right...

She'd need others. Others to help her wage this war, others who would bend and sway to her every will, unquestionably...

She needed them, and they needed a revolution. Azula stood at the top of the City walls, unnoticed by the swarming inhabitants below while they bustled about, searching for a way to rebuild this meaningless Life they had constructed.

_Fools, such utter idiots, they don't even realize that this City is more corrupt than ever before, now._

The Dai-Li had been relinquished from the control of the Fire-Nation, and were reinstated as the City's protectors. They sought to upkeep order within the walls, seeking to fully escape the endless fingers of destruction of this war.

But they were also foolish, as they _still_ remained loyal to the highest bidder.

They could be fooled, and if they could be _fooled_, they could also be _killed._

Her innards twisted amongst themselves just from the sheer elation of running them all through with a quick bolt of lightning, and she forced it back down inside herself, once again.

Now was not a time for killing.

Now was a time for planning.

She leapt off the wall into the shadows of the palace, disappearing like a ghost.

THE GAANG-- RUINED VILLAGE

He couldn't believe it. He looked at the torn bodies on the ground, flies buzzing lazily over them, feasting upon the decaying flesh, an extremely one-sided Last Supper.

He _still_ couldn't believe it.

His eyes deceived him, so his ears compensated for their lacking, he could hear Katara outside, weeping into the dirt as she vomited whatever had lain in her stomach against the ground.

_This was not murder, this was slaughter._

He surveyed the bodies himself, forcing his guts to stay down where they were anchored, instead of through his throat. He sighed, and closed his eyes, exiting the building.

He'd seen enough.

"Sokka?"

He jumped slightly, turned and found a stricken Avatar looking at him, face taut with grief.

"Yeah?" He smiled as forcedly as he could, but even _that_ was strained.

"Do you know what happened?" He cast one hand towards the bodies, motioning towards them. "They were _burned,_ Sokka, they were _burned."_

He sighed. "I know, it must've been a Fire-Bender, or at least a large group of them to kill off this many people."

But even as he said it, he knew it wasn't _entirely_ true, the Comet granted Fire-Benders amazing power, equal to that of the Water-Benders along the South Pole during the full moon. He sighed, wishing he knew what was right.

"I know." Aang looked saddened. "I can't believe that this happened..." His voice was all but nonexistent. "One minute everyone as happy, celebrating... And then _this."_

Sokka nodded, saying nothing.

_But I don't have to... They already know what'd happened. _He thought, _But it seems so unreal..._

But then again, if such things as this War could be _real_, so could this.

The Fire-Nation was attempting to rise, again.

He turned around, Avatar in to, and picked Katara gently up off the ground, who was weak with exhaustion.

"Cmon, there's nothing more to see, here."

He, Aang, Toph and Katara left the destroyed village after burning the remaining bodies, and burying them underground.

Even if murdered, at least they could rest in peace...

Even if it didn't seem right. Even if it hurt...

It was better than standing by and doing _nothing_.


	4. Chapter 4

_This was it._

What she lived for, she'd been stripped down of reason until her sole purpose for existence was to take back what was rightfully hers.

And it would start with the girl.

The meeting with the Dai-Li in Ba-Sing-Se had gone less smoothly than planned. Most of the Dai-Li had disbanded, and those that'd left were outraged upon seeing her, and had attempted to bring her down.

Needless to say, they had failed. She had fought back with every bit a strength that she possessed, until they had fallen. One by One.

More bloodshed, but it was not _enough_. The Dai-Li were fools, yes, but the ones she _had_ spared were made to swear their allegiance to her, on a promise that she'd spare their miserable lives once the Fire-Nation rose to its _true _stature and glory.

unlike her father had intended, though, _she_ would become the Phoenix_. _Giving rise to a new era of order under her command, under her solace, she would rule throughout _all_ Nations.

Through Chaos, order would reign, anew. Born from blood and ashes.

It would be difficult, of course, but far from impossible.

It seemed the world would not grant her such things as decent followers, or power, now that she'd lost.

But she'd take them back, _herself..._

_She needed no-one. _

Ty-Lee and Mai were just her dogs, bound to follow her around and act upon her whims as she commanded, giving away their lives at the slightest beckon of her voice.

Or so she had thought. Again, she had miscalculated, she was doing that quite a lot.

The time had come to rectify that mistake. She was now mere_ inches_ away from achieving the first segment of her long-awaited reward. She crouched, catlike, sensing even the _slightest_ motions and sounds, sense elevated to an almost unbelievable height by her bloodthirst.

The Beast was roaring in her belly. It was time to eat.

1ST PERSON-- Azula

I leapt down from the tree, careful to not disturb any of the sleeping figures just thirty feet away from me. I had to do this quickly, lest I be found out, and fall at the hands of The Avatar.

I wanted his blood even more, I wanted it over me, _inside_ me, I wanted his blood more than mine own.

Does it disturb you? I don't care, I've lost too much to care what others think of me, now.

_It was time to begin._

I leapt down from the trees, landed catlike on the ground, and eyed my prey through the bushes.

I knew she could see me. I wanted her that way, going down fighting, so I could enjoy her failure.

The blind Earthbender noticed me instantly, and immediately began raining stone from the sky, attempting to crush me beneath it. I dodged them, and moved closer towards my target, vision framed red, my own blood pounding wildly in my ears, like the beat of a War-drum.

_It was time to begin..._

I lunged forwards, and she sidestepped me easily, casting her hands up in a defensive position, raising a wall of stone between us. I forced blue flame between the cracks, forcing her to retreat from the molten onslaught even through the protective wall.

I laughed softly, and attempted to move out of the way, only she saw this and smashed me clear in the face with a boulder.

_Fool... What's the matter with you?_

I reeled back, bleeding, dizzy, and furious, attempting to escape her attacks while contemplating a maneuver of my own.

We stalked one-another, circling like Wildcats on the brink of Death, eying one-another apprehensively, searching for the slightest shift in concentration, for the slightest break in stance.

And it came in the from of a leap. I leapt high, over her head and positioned myself _directly_ behind her, so close I could actually smell the sweat in her hair. I moved swiftly, past her outstretched hands—no doubt aimed to kill-- and unleashed a surge of lightning that cooked her heart within its cage.

She screamed, and I forced my burning hand down her throat to stem the flow of sound, I laughed as she bit down, determined to fight back, even in Death.

The final bolt of lightning struck the Life from her body.

She fell, and the world seemed to slow down. Everything seemed more _vivid_, as if I was within a dream.

One of absolute bliss... I straightened myself up, checked myself for any wounds (there were some, none serious, but I was hurt, nonetheless) And took one last look at the body of the Blind Earthbender.

She was impossibly frail-looking, small and petite, with gorgeous hair that flowed down to her waist in a cascade.

She was beautiful. Nothing short of it.

I spat upon the body. I bent down, surveying her milky eyes for the last time, faded to a dull green and already clouding even more from Death. I knelt down beside the body and listened for a heartbeat.

There was none.

I'd done it. The first step in taking back what belonged to me, what my family had fought so long for,

_I had done it._

Toph, The Blind Bandit (as The Avatar and that fool Sokka calls her) was Dead.

I searched inside myself, and a shudder ran through my body. Equal parts cold and warm emotion, both pulling me in different directions.

I shrugged them off, and shuddered again.

_Was it enough?_

_Silence, and then a quiet reply from somewhere deep within me, the Snake was talking._

_Yes, it was enough._

I gave the body one last, longing look, and set to work.

It was _done,_ but it was _never enough._

I tore the eyes from within her skull, full filling the Beasts hunger, at least for now.

I returned to the War balloon, watching my and her own blood cascade over my body in rivulets.

I reached out, and left a smear across the surface of the War Balloon, making sure this was real.

I left them, then, the sun would be rising, soon.

And with it, so would the Dai-Li...

I surveyed the small area from my balloon, watchful of any peering eyes, but there was none.

I looked at the blood pouring from me one more time, now slowing down, evidence of my victory.

I bit down into my flesh, feeling the skin tear and the bone scream from the motion.

It felt good.


	5. Chapter 5

Okay, before we begin I've got a few words to say (myself, not Azula)

STOP ASKING ME QUESTIONS! I DON'T WANNA GIVE IT AWAY! SO PLEASE SHUT UP AND WAIT TILL THE END, THEN YOU MAY FLAME ME ALL YOU WISH!!

I don't own this show, If I did, Kataang most likely wouldn't have happened.

Regardless, what's done is done, and I cannot control the strands of time.

And here, we begin.

Suki's cried echoed through the trees, mixing with Katara's own to create a symphony that only Lucifer himself could truly appreciate. One of pain, one of loss, one of underlying rage and fear.

Toph, headstrong, wisecracking, seemingly indestructible Toph was dead, and nearly burned beyond all recognition. Her body lay on the ground, in a patch of sun as if the Gods were illuminating her with their glory, even in her blackest image of now.

She was clearly, irreversibly Dead. But it didn't matter, now, she was gone, Toph was Dead and the world didn't give a damn either way. Dead or Alive they would always progress on, into this future that they'd carved for themselves.

But for Sokka, the moment existed only _now. _Only _now_ out of all the other moments in his life, it hadn't stopped, it had dragged them all forwards into a bleak-looking future, fighting constantly against a strengthening enemy.

But that Enemy was the Fire-Lord, and he had fallen, right?

So who had done _this?_

He stared at the body, forcing the tears away from his eyes, trying to remain strong more for _himself_ than any others. He stared at the body of, what had been just last night, his _living_ best friend.

And within a matter of hours, it seemed, she was taken away. At least, the _living_ part, anyway.

It was still his best friend, and he swore on her grave that he would find whomever was responsible, and make them pay for it.

Katara continued crying, holding onto Suki, while Aang, tears pouring from his startlingly grey eyes, prepared a funeral pyre for the young Earth-Bender.

Toph had no eyes to cry with, anymore. She could only weep tears of blood, for she'd never even gotten a chance to confess, for God's sake.

And they'd never even gotten a chance to say goodbye...

1st person—Azula

Azula was itching, again. Her skin was crawling along itself, inching closer to her bones every minute, as if sickened to be part of herself. Her body was cold, impossibly cold, and her stomach felt like a furnace. Her _thoughts_, though, were sharp, razor-edged, incredibly lush with stat and detail.

And she came up with another plan...

The Di-Lee had refused to carry out her orders, obviously, as no more of the Avatar's friends seemed to be under attack. She knew she couldn't trust them, the weak fools, even the City for which entrusted them with the title of Guardians to did not completely surrender its full support unto those who once worked with such a demon as herself.

She smiled sweetly, knowing full well just how correct they were.

She was a Demon, she was to be _feared_, to be _despised_, to be _hated!_

She bit down, once again to quell the Beast within herself. And let the silence calm the torrents of her thoughts. She needed _no_ distractions, she had been foolish _once_, she had _underestimated_ those around her _twice_ before, and she had paid dearly for it, both times.

Once in blood, once in honor.

Both just as bad as the other.

She sneered as she approached the village, this time on foot, closer to the campsite that housed the Avatar than last time, nearly bristling as she awaited the tides of adrenaline and rage that accompanied the awakening of the Beast within her.

The Snake was incredibly cunning, no doubt, but the Beast was _so_ much more fun.

She broke into a run, padding softly against the Earth as she stalked the village, and the people that lived within it.

_It was time to begin, one more._


	6. Chapter 6

_It was beautiful. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful._

Azula had entered the village just as silently as last time, only she had not waited for them to fall into slumber. She was close to the Avatar and his friends, she wanted _this_ masterpiece to be fresh, new blood as paint does run down from a finished easel before drying. Each body was unique, absolutely breathtaking in its own way, from the mother of the three children she had disemboweled, to the father of them all she had cut off the feet from, and forced him to watch as his Life was shredded just before she tore out his eyes.

He had watched his future collapse, just as _she_ had, her own.

It was enough. The Beast was silent, once more, and the Snake had warned her of her proximity to that of The Avatar, and she had listened, fading away into the woods like the fog that was twisting around her ankles like small, weightless fingers.

It thrilled her. The burning of the nearby village, just out of reach of The Avatar, but close enough for _her_ to watch their agony as they stumbled upon another mass of charred bodies.

They would never find the children. She hadn't_ killed_ the children, they were too young, too_ innocent_ to understand, as she had left them somewhere they would not be found, and let Nature run its course.

Small children cannot sustain themselves, they would die from lack thereof. That way she wouldn't have to worry about what Beast or Snake would say.

Beast would want her to. He _always_ wanted her to...

Snake would hold her back, saying she should savor her hatred and blood lust for none other than the Avatar himself. She _knew_ he was right, of course, and she _knew_ that Beast could get carried away if he was not held in check for too long.

She sighed. Beast was correct, yes, but Snake was _so_ much more fun...

It would take every ounce of his cunning and Beasts rage to be able to attempt her next move in her War.

The taking of Katara's life...

Zuko knew, Zuko knew, of course, that _she _was responsible for these murders, and she was awarethat he would warn the Avatar and his friends to be weary of her approach. This put a slight flaw in her plans, as it would be more difficult to separate them from one-another, as she could not take them all at once.

It would be difficult, of course, but not impossible.

She couldn't stop now, anyway, with her ultimate prize literally mere inches away from her fingers.

She could feel him breathing, she could feel his steady pulse beneath his clothing, the decadence of Life, so easily severed... Lightning's power coursing through her veins, into her fingertips...

_No._

She snapped free of her dillusion, righting herself on the branch of the tree and peered through the night towards the small campsite where the Avatar lay. Once they awoke, she would venture in and make her presence known, she would do it, just as Beast said she should.

Snake was just going to have to wait...

1st person—Katara.

It's been three days since Toph died. Everyone says that they had no idea what'd happened, Suki, Zuko, Sokka, Aang, everyone feigned ignorance, and I don't know if they're lying.

I wish Toph were here. But as I say this, in a way she _is_ here, with all of us, spiritually, anyway, and she wouldn't want us to sit around moping about what'd happened, she'd want us to move on and do what needed to be done.

And no doubt argue nonstop if we disagreed. So we must go on, we're heading to Ba-Sing-Se, again to speak with the Earth King, and try and set this entire disaster right, again. It seems to simple, just get there and everything will turn out okay, but I think we all know that it will be nothing close to simple.

Maybe that's why they left, maybe that's why they needed some time away...

I'm an idiot not to've said anything, but I know that everyone was feeling so regretful about what'd happened—about not _seeing_ what'd happened-- that I let them go off, alone.

But not before promising to come back within the hour.

So I was here, left alone with the woods and my swirling hurricane of thoughts, regrets, and things that I wanted to've said but didn't, because I was an idiot.

It was incredible what the Death of your closest friend brought you to realize, wasn't it?

I was shaken, _everyone_ was shaken, and it seemed that nobody knew what was happening, even Sokka seemed at a loss for words, for once.

That was _never_ a good thing.

But it didn't matter, Toph wouldn't want us to mourn like a ("bunch of sissies" or something equally as sarcastic) She would want us to make it to Ba-Sing-Se, with or without her, and stop this from happening _twice._

She was stubborn, but not stupid. She was_...Harsh,_ sometimes, but not heartless.

Azula was the truly heartless one.

END 1ST PERSON

Speaking of Azula...

I sat in the tree, savoring the minutes before I chose to act. Everything had to be _flawless_, everything must be _perfect_, or else it will all come crashing down around me, yet again.

I _could not_ allow that to happen, not with everything being so close to falling_ together._

I sneered, letting my own hatred guide me down from the tree, ever closer to none other than the Avatar's little girlfriend..

_It was time to begin..._

She saw me almost immediately. I didn't expect her to realize I was there so fast.

She turned, shock and rage distorting her features, and unleashed a volley of water from that small flask at her side. It came at me like something _alive_, striking me across the face, leaving a gash there which I knew would not soon heal.

She was obviously serious. It didn't matter, though, because I couldn't allow myself to _lose._ This was more than a fight, this was a duel, an Agni-Kai, one into the bitter reaches of Death, one into the vast nothingness of eternity.

She had a one-way ticket. I just had to make sure she didn't miss the voyage.

She reached for the water again, drawing it up into a wall of Ice in front of her to ward off my bullets of flame, and it held. I fired more, moving around her in a circle, forcing her to reduce the wall to water once again, and rely only on the liquid itself to hold back the barrage of blue flame.

She turned around, attempting to whip at me with the water, undoubtedly, but I moved quickly to the left, and she _missed._

_She missed. _

And I took full advantage. Using her uncertainty, I lunged towards her, knocking the beam of water from her hands, and tackling her to the ground. I raked my nails across the face,--startlingly pretty, even with deep, bleeding gashes coursing through it-- and began to burn away the skin from her face.

She wouldn't allow it.

She kicked me off, screaming of murder, and turned the water upon the ground into fragments of ice, which she threw at me like so many knives. I dodged the majority, but wasn't fat enough to get away from the last few, which embedded themselves into my shoulder with a squelching of wet flesh and a screaming of dry bone.

She looked at me, grinning through the Death-mask I had so lovingly created for her, and I looked down, surprised from the pain that the daggers were giving me. I threw them down, and we continued.

_She was beautiful._

The way she moved, the way that she bent the water alongside her as if it were a second, more solid shadow. It and her body moved as fluid as the other, resulting in something completely and totally immersible.

I could never achieve this sort of beauty.

It only made me want to kill Katara _more._

I dodged everything she could throw at me, breathless, using up all available energy to focus on my one objective, to take her life, and live to take the others. I couldn't keep it up for _long_, though, and I began to get weary, it was becoming harder to pay attention, harder to move, more difficult to breathe.

I think I was as close to dying as I'd ever been.

She would be one to remember, most definitely. She was _not_ just another Life taken.

And it happened like this.

I fell backwards, completely exhausted, into a lake somewhere near the campsite. I stood back up, but slipped on the muddy bottom and fell, again, and saw Katara appear between the trees.

Her face was a caked mess of blood and dirt, and scorched patches of skin. Her hair was filthy, her clothes were ragged and bloodstained, and she was breathing heavily, thick, forced gasps.

She looked absolutely perfect. Her final moment was here.

She stared at me, and I shuddered, it was as if the gates to Hell were alight beneath those blue eyes, which burned with the fire of a thousands damned souls, and were somehow still dead-looking, as if she'd died a long time ago, and couldn't let herself move on.

I decided to help her with that.

She raised her arms above her head, bringing her hands together in a motion I knew nothing of, until I heard a massive roar—like that of a Demon itself-- behind me.

It hit me, then, how much of a fool I'd been. I was in a _lake!_

I was also in _so_ much trouble.

She grinned horribly at me, death-mask white with rage, and bound me there, in midair.

She was going to _crucify_ me, I honestly didn't believe that she possessed _that kind _of cruelty.

I hung there, suspended by the tendrils of water, which were rapidly spawning _more_, until I was nearly immobilized by them. She raised the remainder of water out of the lake, and turned it into a stock of darts, sharp, razored accuracy of Ice.

That was where she made her final mistake. I used the shifting motion of her left hand as she released the darts to send a bolt of lightning along the tendrils of water that bound us together, it raced backwards towards its target, hitting her with a wicked CLAP! That was mingled with her screams.

I was also being electrocuted, every twitch and buck that Katara did as the lightning infiltrated her body was mirrored exactly by myself as the Water-Bender screamed in mortal agony.

Despite the pain, I loved every _moment_ of it. Until it was over.

Katara fell to the ground, motionless. And so did I.

I crawled as quickly over to the body as I could manage, and surveyed what I had done. She was charred, burnt beyond all recognition, just as her friend was before, only this time her blood had came over her face in a mask that made even _me_ shudder in disgust.

It was over. The next segment of the stairway to victory had been cleared, and I was overjoyed.

As I did before, I asked Snake and Beast if it was enough, seeing if they were not fully satisfied with what I'd done. Only I got no reply.

My mind was buzzing, my eyesight was going dim, and I was having a hard time thinking, as if my thoughts belonged to someone else, rather than what I knew to be myself.

_What was happening?_

I crawled away from the body of the Dead Water-Bender, and disappeared as quickly as I could into the foliage, hoping it would cover me from her friends, as they undoubtedly would be returning soon.

My wounds were multiple, and it was becoming difficult to think. Snake and Beast had fallen silent.

I had just _one thing_ left to do, now, and it would all be over. My War, would be _over._

And I would become the _true_ Phoenix. I bit down on my hands, again, feeling the skin tear.

I crawled further into the foliage, and wept tears of joy.

1st Person-- Sokka

_I cannot explain to you what I see lying before me. It's a sight of too great a magnitude for mere words, and can only be expressed in simple, boiling emotion._

_Azula had to be stopped, before this could continue, any further._

"Aang!" I turned towards the Airbender, who was weeping madly into Zuko's shoulder, who was clutching a sobbing Suki, as well.

With the assistance of Zuko, he managed to stand up. "W-what?"

I sighed, seeing my friends for what could most likely be the final time. "You've got to go."

He clearly didn't understand what I meant, and it made me even sadder. "What do you mean, _go?"_

"Y-You've got to _go."_ I said this last part softly, too intent on keeping away the onslaught of tears that threatened me with their arrival.

His face all but collapsed as he grasped the meaning of my words. "No."

"_Yes."_

"NO!" He looked both angry and hurt, and he had perfect reasoning to be both. "I-"

I held up my shaking hand to stop him. "Look, you all know who's behind this, obviously, only you didn't actually want to say it because it sounded unbelievable. Azula is the one who's been doing all of this, guys. It's _Azula! And I think you know that, by now."_

Zuko surveyed me from behind dry eyes. "You've figured it out, too?"

"Those burns weren't from an ordinary Fire-Bender."

He nodded. "You're right, she _isn't_ an ordinary Fire-Bender, and Katara wasn't an ordinary _Water-Bender,_ either." He frowned at me. "I can't believe you'd actually be so stupid as to suggest something like this."

"Katara didn't lose because she was any stronger or weaker than Azula, Zuko. Nor did Toph."

"No?" He surveyed me coolly, though I knew he was in immense pain.

"No. Azula only managed to do these things because both Katara and Toph possessed something that she apparently lacks."

"What might that be?"

"_M_ercy." I glared at him, and he knew that I was right.

I convinced them to go. I convinced Suki, Aang and Zuko to leave and flee to Ba-Sing-Se as quickly as they possibly could, and do whatever it took to wash away the memories of these past few horrible days.

I couldn't bring myself to say to wash away my own memory, but if I had, they wouldn't have left.

I sat there, in the deserted campsite, and waited for night to fall, and with in, the raising of the guillotine that was Azula.

And she didn't disappoint me, in the least.

She came like a lynx, creeping silent on two feet into the campsite, searching for any signs of life, until she found it empty.

I couldn't help but laugh at her howl of rage.

She heard me laugh, and sent a bolt of lightening me way, which I just barely dodged.

"_WHERE ARE YOU FRIENDS!?"_ She screamed, face twisted.

"They're gone. They ran away to escape you."

"_Oh, how sweet._ You sent them away to _protect_ them, I foresee?" She sighed. "It's a pit, I'll just have to kill you all, rather than spare that girlfriend of yours."

"You _LIE!"_

"How do _you_ know?" She sneered at me, eyes burning.

"Because you're _you."_

I drew my sword from its sheath, running towards the motionless Azula, who couldn't bring her hands around in time. I swung with all the strength I had...

And missed cleanly. Azula danced away, laughing.

_She wants to torture me before I die, she wants to make me suffer, because if I fail and she takes out everyone else, it'll be my fault._ _Just like Katara and Toph._

Azula, instead of killing me, merely beckoning me with her hands, laughing softly as I lunged forwards, to swing and miss again.

She laughed as I attempted the same maneuver, knowing I was dancing with Death itself, and swung, one more time.

This time, I didn't miss. The sword cleaved her left hand off cleanly at the wrist, spurting blood and gore which blanketed us both, and she began screaming like a wounded animal.

_That's all she ever was, though, merely an animal..._

I hurled myself away from Azula as she sent one last retaliatory bolt of lighting at me, as I was suspended in midair, completely helpless.

The world slowed down, I could hear her laughter, every droplet of blood was magnified to an almost surreal level of detail, and I reacted on instinct.

I threw up my sword to block.

The blot of lighting traced itself along the blade, crackling downwards along my arm and off into the sky from the tip of the blade. Azula was just as shocked as I was that I was still alive.

Azula screamed, trying to forage enough power for another bolt of lightning, but I stopped her with one, decisive swing of my sword which cleaved her arm completely away from its owners body.

She screamed, fell over, clutching the stump of what had been a working left arm, and screamed.

I fell to the ground, also, bleeding badly from my chest, my heart racing...

Azula fell backwards, screams diminishing in intensity and hatred, and watched me approach her.

1st Person—Azula

I watched the Water-Tribe swordsman approach me, with murderous intent in his eyes, but I was not afraid. All my rage had disappeared, somehow, as if someone had pulled a plug from somewhere inside me, and I had lost track of myself, and where I was to be.

_Snake?_ I called inside myself, searching for a fragment of advice, but none came.

_Beast? _I called out to him, desperate for what to do, but he gave me no heed.

I could only watch as Sokka progressed closer, raising his sword in what was surely going to be the killing blow. It came with a SCHING! And the burying of sword into substance, but there was no pain.

_No pain..._

I looked above me to find Sokka staring down, eyes living, tears coursing down his face.

"Why didn't you kill me?" I taunted. "I know you ant to, I know you think I deserve it."

He shook his head. "You deserve it more than anyone ever will, but _I _can't kill you."

My eyes widened in disbelief. "Why _not?"_

"Because you don't _deserve_ to die bu another human being. The taking of _your_ life won't replace the ones that you've stolen."

"_Kill me_." I hissed. "I _know_ it's what you want to do!"

He shook his head. "No. I can't. It's what you'd _want_ me to do, and I don't want _your_ blood on my hands." His eyes burned with fury."You aren't _worth_ killing in battle. You're nothing more than an animal."

We both realized the truthfulness of that statement at the exact same time, and we both knew it.

He pulled his sword free from the ground, and gave me one last look.

"I'm sorry, but you don't _deserve_ to die."

He walked away, then, to leave me there alone, and absolutely helpless. I could feel the strength draining from my body, and my vision was getting blurry, my thoughts were fading away. Sokka disappeared from my eyes, and merged with the shadows of the woods, which were becoming larger by the second.

Beast and Snake had fallen silent, as well. I was truly alone.

I lay there, and let the shadows take me.

I lay there, and began to cry.


End file.
